:: Life on Planet Dan-E ::

:: Saturday, November 17, 2007 ::

:: I am Beowulf! ::

I had the night off and after a long week, I unwound by going to watch "Beowulf" this afternoon. I was going to write up my own review of this movie but I ran across another review written by NY Post writer Kyle Smith that you can read here. I normally wouldn't care too much about a critic's writing style but this particular review made me laugh out loud.

When talking about the look of the film he writes:

"The effect is strange: the fantasy factor is less than it is in pure animation, while the human factor is less than it is in live action. Actors’ eyes turn into glassy beads and their skin becomes soft plastic; if the Pillsbury Dough Boy showed up on screen, he’d fit right in. Someone would give him a shield and a mace, tell him to lose a few pounds and send him into the action."

He likes the movie but there are parts where it takes itself so seriously that you kinda have to alleviate it with humor.

"Up pops Beowulf (Ray Winstone? Really, Ray Winstone?) from across the sea primeval. With long, straight blond hair and a headband, he seems like Bjornborgowulf, but this is one Scandinavian who isn’t content to have a killer forehand. “I’m Beowulf,” he declares. “I’m here to kill your monster.” And quaff your drink and swive your wenches, please. The queen (Robin Wright Penn) frostily notifies Beowulf that “There have been many brave men who have come to taste my lord’s mead,” at which point the newcomer must be wondering if he has stumbled into Ye Olde Gay Scene."

Maybe because I know what mead is (honey wine) I thought that line was funny in a "Beavis and Butthead in College" sort of way. I did laugh somewhat but there a few guys behind me that found it hysterical. Unintentional humor litter the plot while intended humor is few and far between. But this is supposed to be an adult fantasy story and for the most part, perhaps becasue the didn't dumb it down for the masses too much, it stays entertaining all the way through. The digital paint-over look of the film is distracting for the first five minutes or so but once the movie gets going (especially the battle scenes) you'll see why they chose this method of filming.

It'll probably be most compared to "300" and while it may not be quite as visceral as that Greek pickle farm, it's still a very entertaining movie. Don't be afraid to laugh out loud.

Labels: boobs, movie, NaBloPoMo, reviews

:: Miscellaneous Ramblings by Dan-E at 11:37 PM [+] :: | 0 comments
.....